Millenium Party
by Thief Mistress Thorn
Summary: Only a few weeks after the Thief King's downfall and Pharaoh Atem's final test, the Items have returned... how will this be celebrated? I sense a scary party in the making... Rated T just in case. Very Bakura-based story.
1. Chapter 1

Millennium Party

By: TMT

A/n: I made this because I was very, very disappointed with everybody's idea of a YGO party…. So, here's my outlook. I'll try to stay as in-character as possible. Review, please.

DISCLAIMER: YuGiOh! IS NOT MINE! We all clear on that? Okay.

-Introduction: Wishful Thinking-

Sunlight streamed through the slightly-open window shades. Another uneventful Saturday morning. A bird chirped outside. A group of children could be heard shouting in the distance…

Ryou sat up in his bed. The covers fell in a pool around his torso. He looked at the clock. **8:37AM**, it read. Ryou was awake considerably early for a Saturday, well, for a teen on a Saturday. But seeing as though he was not an all-night partier, and had no girlfriend or anything to occupy his time… well, eight thirty-seven wasn't such an early time. He looked around his room. Everything was pretty neat. You'd expect a teenaged-boy's 1-bed 1-bath apartment to be a mess, perhaps, but Ryou was perceivably not a normal teenager.

Actually, to be literal, he _was. _It's not like he was the only teen without a mother, nor was he the only tidy male on the planet. He was perfectly healthy, now anyway, and all that remained were some scars from the past. Memories…

_He hit the ground with am "Oomph". _

"_And WHERE do you think you're going?" Came the voice._

_Run, run, run… those were the only thoughts in his mind. "This can't be happening, not AGAIN!" He panted. He jumped bushes off the side of a road… trying desperately not to trip on the undergrowth… Using trees for support, he dashed into a clearing, a small chapel built in the center. It was almost as though a guardian angel had come down to aid him._

"_I should be safe in here…" He thought aloud._

_His pace slowed when he walked in, coming to a walk. He was gasping for breath._

_As he approached the front of the small yet beautiful chapel…_

…_The candlesticks surrounding the altar lit, and maniacal cackling could be heard throughout the humble room. _

"_Stop it! Stay AWAY from me!" He cried._

"_I can't do that," the Voice replied, "We still have a mission to complete."_

"…_A mission?"_

"_How quickly we _forget,_"_ _It spat, voice dripping with venom. "Allow mw to remind you. Does the term 'Millennium Items' sound familiar? Well, you promised to help me obtain all seven! And at the moment, we only have ONE. But not to worry. I know where the others are. I just need someone to take me to them. And that's where YOU come in. After all, you ARE the vessel that allows me to exist in this world! Now stop resisting and JOIN ME!"_

"_Never!" He yelled, rather bravely. He was proud. But that didn't last._

"_WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I'M GIVING YOU A CHOICE? You WILL help me! And the most powerful force that ever existed will be MINE!"_

"_YOU CAN'T FORCE ME!" He bellowed._

"_And that's where you're WRONG, MORTAL!"_

_The windows burst. The floor spun. The world seemed like it would shatter. Ryou screamed. There was more ranting…_

…_And the next time he woke, his Yami was gone, vanished, never to interrupt his life again. He was free._

Ryou spat the mouthwash in the sink. He inhaled slowly, then exhaled loudly. "Wonder what Yugi's up to…" he mused.

He returned to his bedroom and opened a lightwood dresser. The second drawer down, to be exact. He pulled out a normal pair out denim skinny-jeans and a blue-and-white striped polo. Blue and white were his favorite colors ever since he could remember. Red and black were his Yami's…

He laid his pajama-sweats neatly in the top drawer, and dressed in a daze. He switched on the TV. Maybe he could find something productive to do… he needed fresh air. The news channel was on. He waited for the local news to come on. He ran his fingers through the fluffy tufts of his hair… a surprisingly un-tangled mess. Despite the fact his hair seemed to have a mind of it's own, it was very neat most the time. He wasn't the type of guy to fill his hair with junk…

"_Incoming news from the other side of the globe!" _A chirpy voice announced. Ryou's curiosity got the best of him, and he turned to face his small television set.

"_All the way in Egypt, here's our one and only Himori-san reporting with Professor Bakura!" _

Ryou's eyes widened, but only for a moment. He shouldn't be surprised. After all, this happens all the time with explorers like his dad…

"_Thanks, Mr. Himori, and if my son's out there, then Hello!"_

It was almost as though fate was screwing with him. He turned away from the TV, eyes stinging a bit. But his curiosity still had it's hold on him.

"_So, Professor, tell us all about this new find!"_

"_Well, it seems that we've hit an ancient underground lake, which we think has been preserved since the times of the Pharaohs!"_

"_Ooh, tell us more!"_

Ryou reluctantly turned back towards the TV set.

"_Of course, of course. Well, A couple weeks ago, I got a call that some scientists had discovered, with this amazing satellite technology, that there was a mysterious oasis in the Valley of the Kings. They told me that the satellite was detecting a disturbance under the surface… but way too deep beneath it! I thought, 'There's something wrong. An oasis can't possibly run deep under sea level as they say it does…!'"_

"_And so, what did you do?" _The reporter asked, obviously getting impatient with Ryou's father. He always was one to hold off the story's point and build up suspense…

"_Well, I just had to check it out myself. A team of experts came with me out to the Valley of the Kings. We brought a drilling machine, you know, the ones the use for oil? And it's a good thing we did! It just kept drilling and drilling… for hours… there's no way any man could've dug this deep, good chap!" The professor exclaimed. "And, around sunset that day…" he continued, "The ground just… split open!"_

"_Good Lord!" _The reporter started, _"Was anyone hurt?"_

"_No, fellow, no, but if you fly above this very site, you'll see that the ground opened up in the exact shape of Horus's eye! We first noticed when I got a call from the lab. They had detected the disturbance! I assured them all was well, but then they asked, 'Did you do that on purpose?' They explained to me the phenomenon that had taken place right under my feet. _

_So I went down the old-fashioned way with a team of expeditions, you see. We climbed down there on ropes! Took us two hours! I thought I was going to die! It just kept going and going… but finally we reached the bottom. And, would you believe it? There was an enormous lake, with natural marble walls forming a cave that seemed to glow GOLD in the water!"_

"_Incredible! Incredible!"_

"_Yes! It's a good thing that Thomas had thought to bring a camera! I thought we'd just see rocks, but then, I should've known better! And there's more! There were INSCRIPTIONS, no, let me be more precise, HYROGLYPHS engraved in the marble! That cave seems to have been used as some sort of sacred temple or something… we haven't decoded the inscriptions yet, you see…" _The professor's face fell a bit. _"And also, we believe shifting tectonic plates recently caused the top of the cave to fall in on itself… recently, actually. Pity, if only we'd found it sooner, then perhaps we'd be able to read ALL the inscriptions someday…" _The man sighed with disappointment, then continued,_ "However, we didn't stop there. I personally waded through the surprisingly shallow waters to find that strange golden glow…"_

"_Yes, yes?!" _The reporter was almost fainted with exhaustion from all the suspense.

"_Well, we found the most peculiar thing! Seven pieces of jewelry and treasures… _

Coincidence.

"…_along with a sarcophagus, too! Which leads me to believe that an underground temple was constructed in ancient times right above this amazing lake, and it fell in on itself from some strange natural calamity that we never foresaw… But here! Come in my tent and I'll personally show you what we found!"_

…Or not.

Ryou had to hit himself in the face to prevent himself from fainting when he saw the findings. He grabbed on his shirt. He could hear his hear thundering in his ears…

_Seven Items. They're back so soon. So, so soon… But the spirits are gone from them now! That's right! After that duel, the Pharaoh went to the Afterlife! And my Yami's in the Shadow Realm! No worries!_

He lifted his head and laughed. How silly of him to think the Spirit of the Ring was back to wreak havoc!! They're just pieces of junk now!

**There was no force in the universe or any Realm that could trap those spirits back in the Items! **

… But that's exactly what fate would describe as _"Wishful Thinking"._

(To be continued)

------

Chapter 2: Return of the Rivalry

Okay, the Millennium Items are back, but what about the Atemu? Or the legendary Thief King? Is he back to wreak some havoc on Yugi and co.? And when's the party starting?! If you want to find out, then you'll have to wait for my next chapter, _Return of the Rivalry. _I have to warn you though, I won't continue until I get some reviews!


	2. Chapter 2

A/n: Hello, I'm back. I only have two reviews so far on the first chapter, you know who you are. Thanks for reading.

I'm going to be busy again with schoolwork and whatnot once break ends, but I'll try to dutifully work on both stories. I must, must, must reconstruct my other story, Rose in the Shadows, entirely, because there's so many gaps it's like a bridge about to collapse. So, I'm sorry my chapters are short/ take forever to appear on here.

Disclaimer: YuGiOh is NOT mine. If it was then YuGiOh GX and YuGiOh 5D probably wouldn't exist. I apologize to fans of those shows.

-Chapter 2: Return of the Rivalry-

Seto Kaiba was never one to be corrected. And as he walked into the Motou's game shop, he knew he was in for a world of excuses and explanations.

**Three Hours Earlier**

Mokuba flew through the doors to Kaiba's home office.

"Seto! Come quick!" Mokuba shouted.

"What's wrong?" Kaiba asked, not showing a faint hint of concern.

Mokuba sighed at his brother's indifference and replied, "The news! In Egypt--"

"I have had ENOUGH of that nonsense to last me a LIFETIME." Seto interjected, before taking a long drink from his coffee mug to indicate the conversation was over.

"I thought you would want to know they found Yugi's puzzle…" Mokuba mumbled.

"…What?!" Kaiba stopped himself from going on a rampage in front of his little sibling. _That thing is what made Yugi believe he could duel… it gave him confidence… after we threw it out, he told me he wasn't interested in dueling… maybe no I can finally gain my title back… _he thought.

"So… Mokuba, tell me. Where _is_ his puzzle?"

"Well, Seto," Mokuba started, more excited now that his brother was interested, "They found it in an underground lake in Egypt! And guess who has it?"

"Who?" Kaiba played along.

"Well, you remember Bakura?"

"The British psychopath? How could I forget…" Kaiba growled at the memories of Bakura making him a simple pawn in his twisted plan to annihilate Yugi. Kaiba was _much _more important than a simple pawn! And Bakura always called him "Priest" or something…

"Yeah, well, his father is the archeologist who found them!"

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Nah-nuh."

"…Mokuba, call a limo."

"Huh? Why?"

"I'm going to pay a visit to Ryou Bakura."

Seto gulped down the last ounce of the dark liquid caffeine and took two Aspirin before setting off. He brought with him only his briefcase, whose contents always seemed to vary between guns, cash and duel monsters equipment/ cards. And of course, a laptop.

He looked up Bakura's small apartment address and was on his doormat within five minutes of departure from his parking lot. Nothing can stop a Kaiba when he wants something. This is Seto's philosophy.

He rang the doorbell twice to make known his impatience before Ryou answered.

"K-Kaiba? Erm, good afternoon…" Ryou said sheepishly. "Do you want to come in?"

"Whatever." Kaiba replied. Ryou moved out of his way as he ducked through the doorway. Being six-foot-three certainly does come with a price.

They stood in an awkward silence before Ryou said, "Please, sit down, make yourself at home. I don't have much to drink… do you like tea?" He asked politely. Kaiba nodded, then looked around the room to take in his surroundings. It was compact, but all the furniture was matched perfectly, and it was very cozy. Kaiba sat almost mechanically in a big comfy recliner, but the way he sat made it look like a stiff office chair.

He thought about the boy who had answered the door. He was polite and astonishingly gentlemanly. This was not the same Bakura, obviously, who had tried to use him like some sort of chess piece. He thought back to his tournament, when Bakura had dueled Yami. He may have won if Yami didn't have that God Card… but that was beside the point. That duel had established him as a nut job to Kaiba. And the view never changed. Until now. He vaguely remembered one part of the duel where Marik interrupted, holding that freaky cane like it was a magic wand. Suddenly, Bakura seemed in pain. He was begging, asking _politely, _to end the duel, but Kaiba wouldn't have that…

Ryou came back in the room with two cups of tea. "They're hot…" he cautioned, before handing Kaiba the blue-tinted cup. It was plastic, therefore it didn't feel hot, but Kaiba assumed that was what the caution was for.

"Now, then," Kaiba began, careful not to stray from the importance of his visit. "I'm sure you're wandering why the hell I came here…"

Ryou nodded slowly, trying not to offend him.

Kaiba took a drink of the tea, which he mentally noted was very good, before continuing, "…So I'll make it short and simple. I heard your father has found Yugi's puzzle. I want it back in Yugi's possession."

"U-um…"

"Not that I care about the brat, but you see, he's refused to duel me ever since he got rid of it. If he insists on acting so terribly pathetic without it, and he refuses to see reason and realize he's acting like a fool, then I want him to have it back. It's the only way he'll duel me again and give me a chance to reclaim my title…"

"I…see… I think. You believe I have the Items…?"

"Well, I believe that if you don't, then you know where I can find them. He is your father after all…"

Ryou held back tears with all his might at the mentioning of any relation between his father and himself. He smiled a little smile and replied, "Well, I suppose I can give you his business name and contact information if you want to speak to him… but I'm afraid that's all I can do. I'm terribly sorry. I wish I could help more…"

Kaiba, not looking the least bit hindered by this setback, just said, "That would be great. Thanks." He wasn't quite so nice to people this often, but there was something about the frail boy that Kaiba didn't want to upset. He didn't particularly care about the kid, but… whatever. He shrugged it off. Bakura motioned him to the kitchen, a little add-on to the living room. There Bakura wrote down all the contact info on his father that he knew onto the back of a business card, provided by Kaiba. He always had at least five of those on him. It's a professional thing.

After making sure he had everything he came for, Kaiba thanked Ryou in a very Kaiba-ish way (A grunted "Thanks for the help") before clambering back into the shiny white limousine and speeding away. How he'd never received a ticket was beyond him.

**Present**

Grandpa Motou was sitting down for a nice, long nap. Surely today was a slow business day, (as was everyday) so a nap sounded splendid. He nestled into the old couch in the room next to the shop. He turned off the TV, so as to have peace and quiet. Before he got too comfortable… "Yugi!" He called. "Yeah, Grandpa?" came the light, cheery voice. "Would you keep an eye on the shop for me? I need a nap. I am getting older, and us older people need our beauty sleep…"

"Sure thing, Gramps." Yugi said as he walked down the stairs. By the time he reached the bottom, his Grandpa was snoring away. He rolled his eyes and walked out to the front of the store.

What, or rather, who awaited him caught the poor boy off guard. After all, the last time Seto Kaiba was in the Game Shop, it had begun a conspiracy involving the kidnapping of his grandfather and the destruction of one of the world's rarest duel monsters cards…

"Kaiba?!"

"I know my name." Seto snorted.

"What are you doing here?"

"Have you been living under a rock?"

"…huh?"

Yes, Kaiba had only just heard the news about three hours ago, but that wasn't something Yugi had to know, now was it?

"I'm talking about the fact that they found your gaudy necklace in an ancient trash heap."

"WHAT?!"

"The puzzle, Yugi. Do I have to spell it out? _Ryou Bakura's father dug up the Millennium Items_."

He detested giving those pieces of junk a title, but it was the only way Yugi would understand what he was talking about.

"Oh. _Oh_." Yugi muttered, completely astonished.

"…If you need proof, turn on a TV." Kaiba added. He was milking the moment for all it's worth.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own YUGIOH. At all. Not even in stocks. Zip. Nada. Read.

Chapter 3: Blast to the Past

Kaiba stood grinning rather arrogantly as he watched Yugi's lower jaw pop with surprise. Yugi turned away to recollect what had just occurred.

After about 10 minutes, Seto Kaiba's arrogance faded into impatience. "So are you going to go get the damn necklace or not?" He urged.

"Wow, Kaiba, I haven't seen you this excited since…" Yugi deliberated. "Since you wanted to have the Ceremonial Duel against me… Oh. I think I know what this is about."

"Yes well… I'm leaving tomorrow. Noonish. I'm taking the jet. I will leave without you if you don't show. See ya. Oh, and…"

"Huh?"

"…If you insist on bringing your cheer squad, fine by me."

"Really?"

Kaiba grunted and turned, leaving a billowing trench coat in his wake.

------

"You'll never believed what just happened, guys!!"

"What?" Joey urged.

"They- items- back- found- and Ryou's - with the professor- and--"

"Whoa, slow down, buddy." Tristan interrupted. "Your face is turning blue."

"Oh, just let him talk." Tea countered, rolling her eyes.

"Really, Yugi, please continue," Ryou added. Yet again, he was playing clueless so Yugi could have his spotlight. But he just didn't have it in him to hold _that_ against poor Yugi. They'd both been through so much…

"Hey, Ryou, you awake in there?" Joey snorted as he poked Ryou's pale forehead.

"Nng-huh?" Ryou's attention came back to the group.

"You've been spacing out a lot in class, too." Yugi stated.

"Hey, I noticed too!" Tea joined in. Ryou _hated_ it when they ganged up on him like this.

"You okay, man?" Tristan added.

"Just fine, really." Ryou promised. Eyebrows were raised in disbelief. "W-what?" He asked, somewhat offended.

"Well…" Joey started, but didn't finish. So Tristan picked up the sentence. "…The last time you were 'fine, really', you went berserk the next second and tried to…" Tristan didn't have to finish. Ryou was red. Red like a "Flaming Swordsman on the 4th of July", as Joey called it. Nobody knew what that meant, but…

"You. Think. I'm. Going. To. KILL. YOU?!" Ryou yelled. He normally didn't yell, so his shout sounded utterly pathetic. But, he was Bakura. And a yelling, red Bakura normally triggered Yugi's defensive instincts. Perhaps they were forgetting which Bakura this was…

Ryou stood up in the middle of the park, their meeting spot, and practically ripped off his shirt. "See?! NO MILLENIUM RING. So you can al stop treating me like HIM! He…" Ryou held back tears. His Other Self was a mirror reflection of himself in every way. But his outburst just then scared him. He had been ready to punch someone….

"Yo, Ryou, you can puit your shirt back on." Joey said. Tristan snickered. "Joey!" Tea scolded.

That was it. Ryou had left the building. Ryou turned as fast as he could, hair whipping his face, and slammed his fist into some part of Joey… he was too mad to check which…

"Oh My GOD!" Tea screamed. Joey lay on the ground, holding a tooth and nursing a bleeding nose. Ryou looked from Joey's face to his own fist. _I did that? _He thought.

"You see?! I TOLD you he's nuts!" Tristan yelled.

"Joey-" Yugi started.

"I bokay, Uug, don worry bou' me…"

"Joey! You're bleeding!" Tea exclaimed.

Joey stood and walked over to Ryou.

"Give him a free shot!" Tristan commanded at Ryou. Ryou winced. He was going to die…

Joey, however, extended a hand instead of a fist. "I'm sorry. Are we even?" Joey asked.

Ryou was utterly shocked. He had just injured Joey Wheeler, and he wasn't on a stretcher on the way to the paramedics.

Suddenly, clapping was heard. Applause.

A teenaged boy jumped out of the nearby tree.

At first, one would say "No, it couldn't be…."

…But the voice gave it away.

"I've taught you well, _dear yadonushi_. Then again, Joey always _was_ an easy target…"

A voice so full of venom, pure hatred, it could only belong to one thief.

The one with tan skin and hair the color of the moon.

The one that was supposed to be dead.

Of course he wasn't dead.

_Wishful thinking… _Ryou thought grimly. And _then_ he blacked out.

---

DUM DUM DUUUUUUUNNN!!!

Mwahahaha... :D


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! Does NOT belong to me. Now that that's over with, let's get to the story.

Chapter 4:

Ryou recovered from fainting quickly, but pretended to stay unconscious, to avoid trouble. This, apparently, was impossible. Someone's arms were holding him up… Joey, perhaps? No…

When he figured out whose arms they were, he nearly fainted again.

--2 minutes earlier--

Ryou fell backwards, then forwards, straight into… his Other Self's arms. And, even more surprisingly, that Other Self caught him.

Tristan was the first to react. "YOU--"

"Stay away from him? Leave?" Bakura mocked. Then he looked down at Ryou and tsked. "Well, yadonushi, the punch was well-deserved, but you took your shirt off, too? Didn't think you had it in you…"

"How?!" Yugi asked. "How…?!"

"I always have a backup plan, little boy."

"You're pretty small yourself." Tea retorted. She was right. Bakura certainly wasn't the same one they had known from Egypt. Instead of thirty, he looked about…

"Yes, it appears I'm eighteen…" Bakura grumbled. He studied himself, then Ryou. "Hmm… not too much of a difference, though… I'd say the spell worked!"

"Spell?" Joey groaned. "SPELL, Bakura? What in the world?"

Nobody could believe they were having a rational conversation right now. This is about the time Ryou comes to, but pretends to be unconscious…

"What? I knew people back then, and magic should not be beyond you at this point… Ahh, wait, I almost forgot. You're the narrow-minded one. Which also reminds me…" He scanned the area with his lavender eyes.

"Yami-- I mean Atemu-- isn't here." Yugi stated stoically.

"Really?" Bakura said, disbelief very present in his voice. He mumbled something to himself that only Ryou caught. "_He should've surfaced by now… Damn witch screwed up again…"_

Bakura realized Ryou was still in his arms. "Hey, yadonu-- I mean… Ryou…" Everybody exchanged surprised looks. Bakura was using Ryou's name???

"Ryou." He said again. It was like he was training a new word into his vocabulary. Then again, he probably was. "Ryou, you're a terrible actor. I know you're awake."

Ryou groaned. He opened his eyes and plopped on the ground, shook his head a bit, then slowly stood up.

"Woah…" Joey mumbled.

"Hmm?" Bakura asked. He really hoped he wasn't sticking out too much in this "modern" world…

"You two… look like reflections. Except you…" He pointed at the Egyptian. "You look like a cross between Ryou and Marik!"

Everyone burst out laughing, minus the Bakura Twins. The Elder looked ready to murder Joey, the Paler utterly embarrassed as he slid on his polo shirt.

Suddenly, reality shifted into place. Their sworn enemy, the most dangerous person Yugi knew (And Yugi knew A LOT of dangerous people), stood before them, the object of their joke, and nobody was in the Shadow Realm. _Does the Shadow Realm still exist…? _Yugi wondered.

"Hey, guys? Joke's over," Yugi urged. They got the hint. Everyone turned their gaze back on the Thief King, now in his teenage body, obviously.

"Umm…" Tea started. "_This_ is the weirdest question, but… what's up, Bakura? Like, why are you…?"

"That IS a weird question." Bakura agreed. "Well, I would answer that with a snide comment normally, I suppose, but the _honest truth, _I swear to Ra… I have no idea."

"What? Are you serious?!" Tristan yelled. "You always know! You're messing with us!"

"Well, I'm obviously not, or by now Ra would've struck me down…" Bakura grumbled.

"Okay… what do you mean, 'you have no idea'?" This time Ryou spoke up.

Bakura cleared his throat. "I hate to be cliché, but… I have no recollection of much. I remember being in the Ring… and no more. I had an old friend, a sorceress, that I made a deal with to get here. But the compensation… she took my memories away… AGGH! THAT--"

Everyone covered their ears. Bakura had a rather… colorful vocabulary, which they were well- acquainted with (4KidsTV has quite a filter!).

When all that was left was a panting Egyptian in a black baseball shirt and cargo pants (he was bare-foot…), everyone assumed the coast was clear.

"Damn," he gasped, "I hate her. I HATE her. I--"

"Yeah, we know. You hate her." Joey said.

"Well, you listed just about everything, since you've been in the Ring up until now," Tea said. "So what do you not remember?"

"My past."

Everyone froze.

"WOW." Yugi said.

Bakura "Hmmph"-ed.

"Nothing?"

"I'm not repeating myself, kid. All I know is I'm old. Old enough to call you kid. And… I don't like the Pharaoh…Atemu… that name makes me want to hurt someone."

Everyone scooted back a few inches.

"But you remember us?" Ryou asked.

"Of course, yadonushi. I mean, Ryou."

"What's with that? Why are you using my name?" Ryou asked skeptically.

"Well, it doesn't make sense to call you _yadonushi _anymore, since I have my own body… You don't like it?"

"No it's not that, but… it's a little creepy."

Bakura let out his trademark laugh. Nearby birds shrieked and fled the park. Tea shivered, even though it was at least eighty degrees Fahrenheit outside.

"Still got it!" Bakura cackled.

"You're rather pleased with yourself…" Ryou commented. He was liking this. He could never have such a cordial conversation with his Yami! Ryou felt a kindness towards this sorceress…

"Ah, yes. Yugi has very important news to share!" Bakura remembered, delighted.

"Okay, honestly guys… I'm about to faint, too." Joey said. "This is too much. He's mean," He gestured at Ryou, who deeply blushed, "And he's…" --gestured at Bakura--"_nice._"

"You guys really don't trust him, do you?!" Tristan practically screamed. "After all he's done?!"

"I'm not going to give you a cheesy apology, kid. So stop setting up for one." Bakura sneered. "And I am NOT 'nice'".

"Well… it _is_ fitting…" Tea urged.

"_No._"

"What? For real, Bakura? You're letting an opportunity for friendship and repentance pass like that?"

"...What of it?"

Tea sighed. "This is going to be harder than I thought."

"What is? You think just because I'm having a small, well, _large_ case of amnesia, I'm suddenly your… your… _friend?!_"

"Didn't think that word was in your vocab." Joey sneered.

"Shut it, blondie. Why don't you let the midget talk? I know he has something very important to say…"

Everyone's attention turned to Yugi.

"Like he said… uh… how do I put this?"

"Put what, Yug? You're killin me here!" Joey yelled.

Yugi took a deep breath, then let all the news out.

Kaiba's visit.

The discovery.

The plans to go to Egypt.

"Egypt, eh?" Bakura looked positively delighted. Ryou seemed nervous.

"Aww, no. not again!" Joey put his hand to his forehead, as though he was dizzy.

"Egypt? So soon?" Tea added.

"Geez…" Tristan thought aloud.

Now everyone looked at Bakura.

"What? Why are you all looking at _me?_"

"You… really don't remember, do you?" Yugi said, amazed.

"Remember…?"

"This is totally, officially crazy." Tea stated.

Everyone nodded. Bakura crossed his arms and frowned.

"I despise not knowing things…" Bakura growled.

"Now you know how we felt!" Tea threw her hands up in exasperation.

"…What? When?"

Everyone sighed. This was going to be a long day.


	5. Chapter 5

A/n: Hey, everyone. It's TMT… (duh.) I normally don't do the little Author's notes or anything at the beginning of every chapter, so I thought I'd start. No time like the present, eh?

Bakura (Yami): You are SUCH a moron.

TMT: Quiet, you. Don't make me sick the vacuum on you.

Bakura (Yami): Gah! Impudent mortal… I should steal that thing while you sleep.

TMT: Be my guest. The thing gives me a headache, and the 'rents refuse to get a new one…

Y.B.: On second thought, I'll leave it be.

TMT: You truly are evil.

Y.B.: At your service.

TMT: At my service, hmm?

Y.B.: I don't like where this is going.

TMT: Thief King Bakura, the disclaimer if you will.

Y.B.: …You're going to force it into the script anyhow, so… *sigh*

DISCLAIMER: As in "DIS" is not, I repeat NOT the "CLAIMER" of Yugioh, or anything having to do with it. (Hehehe, she wishes she owned me)

TMT: What was that? Ah, forget it. Enjoy the story. And review, why don't you. The silence is creeping me out.

One more thing. I call Yami Bakura Bakura, And Bakura Ryou. Just in case you didn't figure that out already…

**Chapter 5: Home Sweet Egypt**

It seemed all too soon for Yugi and Co. (and a certain Thief King) to be returning to Egypt. They all found it rather strange that Kaiba hadn't complained once when they all met at the airport… little did they know he'd taken out his annoyance on two fools of valets who dented his favorite limousine that morning.

And so, everyone at the airport (Kaiba dismissed Bakura as Ryou's twin brother, and let him on the jet as well… he hadn't had any coffee yet…), the crew set off. Destination: Cairo, Egypt. How sickeningly repetitive.

Yugi came with Joey and Tristan, for support, as Yugi was very anxious about seeing the Puzzle again. Tea came on her own (she lived nearby), and Ryou was stuck with his Yami after his unpredicted return from beyond. To Ryou's surprise, it wasn't as awful as he thought it would be.

--The previous evening--

After all explanations, everyone went their separate ways home. Ryou agreed that it would be best for Bakura to stay with him, as they were closer, and without memories of much, he couldn't be so dreadful, right?

Still, Ryou had a bad feeling in his gut… And the walk home was extremely uncomfortable. By the time they reached Ryou's block, Ryou was shivering uncontrollably. Bakura smacked him in the back of the head.

"W-what was that for?!"

"You look like you saw a ghost."

"… Is that supposed to be funny?"

"Do I ever really try to be funny?"

"…Point taken."

The rest of the walk was silent, but Ryou could feel his Yami's eyes staring at him from behind. They reached the doorstep of Ryou's apartment. Ryou reached into his pocket almost blindly, pulled out the key, and started fiddling with it in the lock. He was so nervous, he dropped the key… and Bakura caught it in mid-air.

"Wow. I'd forgotten how good at that you were."

"Instinct." Bakura grunted.

"…Right."

Bakura nudged Ryou out of the way, shoved the key in the doorknob so hard it was sure to cause damage, and flung the door open.

"A-are you mad at me?" Ryou asked timidly.

"I am not."

"… Why are you so… rude?"

"You never talked to me like this before."

"I…" Ryou was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say to that. He had assumed that his Yami would be a different person, without memories of his past.

"You?"

…Ryou didn't answer.

"Finish your sentence, Ryou."

"…I thought… maybe now that you're alive… that we wouldn't have anything to do with each other. Actually, I wasn't expecting you to be alive."

Normally, talk like that would've earned Ryou abuse of some sort, but his Dark seemed not to care. Or remember.

"…Maybe I should've just faced Judgement…" Bakura shuddered. His tough exterior slipped just long enough for Ryou to see the fleeting terror of the thought on his face... Ryou had never seen his Other Self shaken with fear. He felt like he was looking at another person.

"Let's go… it's cold out here." Ryou gestured at the door. "Please… make yourself at home."

Bakura raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and walked in. "I remember this place." he grunted.

"That's… good…?" Ryou wondered aloud.

"I guess…. But it annoys me. Why cant I remember everything else…? I just…" he sighed, "I don't know what to do, Ryou. I… I have nowhere to go, nothing to return to. I mean, I suppose that shouldn't be an issue… but, what point is there in living when you don't know where you're from, or your purpose?" He bit his bottom lip. He'd shown too much weakness.

Ryou's eyes were brimming with tears. That was almost exactly how he'd felt coming home to an empty house… But his Yami had given him a purpose, no matter how ill-willed it may have been. Ryou felt it was his job to return the favor, and seeing his Yami standing there, struggling to find a reason to live on… It was like an angel, or God, giving him an opportunity.

Ryou swung back, just enough to coil his muscles, then sprang onto his Other Self in a big hug.

"Ryou, what in Ra's name?!"

"Heh, sorry. You looked like you needed a hug, though."

"A… what?"

"Are you serious??" Ryou stood in awe. This poor soul had no clue what a hug was…

"Yes."

"It is… a sign of affection, I suppose. Friendship, and…"

"I've heard enough." His Dark said in disgust. He stood, wiped himself off, so as to clean off the 'nice germs', and stalked into the hallway. Ryou was hurt, but he knew this was not an easy task before him.

Ryou found the Thief King sitting in his bedroom, looking at the RPG figurines Ryou was so fond of… or perhaps he was remembering how he'd trapped the souls of all of Ryou's friends (save for Yugi and Co.) inside those lead statues, and manipulated them into pieces of his warped games.

"Yami… I… I'm not sure if this will help… but… I could tell you about your past, if you'd like."

Much to Ryou's surprise, his Yami didn't reply. Instead, he laughed. And laughed. Until the apartment seemed to ring with his hysterical outburst.

"Kehehe, keep it to yourself, kid. I need to figure this out on my own. I'm sure there's a reason I don't remember…" his eyes widened suddenly. "That's just it! Ryou, you little-!"

Ryou flinched. That phrase normally preceded a beating of some sort, but instead, his Yami sprang up and laughed again. He walked over and messed up Ryou's hair a bit.

"W-what?"

"You're not half bad, Ryou… not half bad."

He walked out of Ryou's bedroom. Ryou was left behind again, but instead of hurt, a smile crept across his face. Not half bad… Ryou could live with that. Ryou yawned and checked the clock. **8:37PM**, it read. He walked out to the living room to offer the bed to his guest. He found the former King of Thieves, lightly snoring on his sofa.

----

"Hey, Ryou, check out what we got! Airport food!" Joey waved a warm croissant in Ryou's face.

"For me?" Ryou asked timidly.

"Of course it is. If not he'd have eaten it by now," Bakura snorted.

Joey ignored the 'peanut gallery comment', as he called it. Nobody knew what that meant, either.

Gate 2A for Kaiba Corporation jet will be departing shortly. Came the voice over the intercom.

"C'mon, Yugi!" Tristan called.

Yugi was using one of the payphones, but nodded his understanding. He said a few more words, hung up, and joined the others. "Everyone got their tickets?" The receptionist asked. "We don't need tickets lady." Kaiba snorted. The woman shot him a fierce glare. "I'm sorry, bu--"

Kaiba swiftly whipped out his official-looking badge, indicating he was the sole CEO of Kaiba Corporations. The woman looked shocked. "Mr. Kaiba, I had no idea….!!"

"Damn straight you didn't. Now let me on my plane, and get me an extra large coffee before things get ugly."

The woman nodded, murmured something into her headset about a dark coffee, and opened the gateway to the boarding station.

Ryou walked behind the group, of course, next to his Yami. They made no sound, being lightweight as they were. The group was trying to ignore the thief, so as to avoid pissing him off further than he always seemed to be. Therefore, Ryou also received this treatment, although unintentionally. _Just like the good old days_… he thought bitterly. Eight hours on a plane with Yugi's group, the Kaibas, AND the Bakuras?

Fasten your seatbelts for a bumpy flight.

----

TMT: Honestly, I am having THE hardest time ever with the next chapter. I have been working on it for two months (I took down this story for repairs last month) and I've still never gotten past chapter 5. Any help would be much appreciated! (though I can't say it will appear in this story for sure, sorry.)

Also, thank you very much to my reviewers:

pride1289, AnimeLoverAngel, Atomic Lightbulb, Roseleaf-Bakura-Fangirl, ladymv, and consumedbylove. You all make this worthwhile. *sigh* if only I could get the next chapter up for you... *sad gaze*

Yami Bakura: Suck it up. And give me my memories back, would you?!

TMT: *sniff* Not until you get down on one knee and propose to Pharaoh Atem.

Y.B.: Hell no!


	6. Chapter 6

A/n: After a major case of brain fart, I finally had an idea for the plane ride and arriving in Egypt! This story's doing great so far… but I know full well I have loads of Marik fans out there to cater to. So… let's kick it up a notch! XDD Heeeree comes Marik! ( Please review at the end and tell me if Malik/Yami Marik should come in too!)

Marik: May I do the disclaimer this time?

TMT: Finally! A volunteer! Go ahead, my little funny-haired Egyptian.

Marik: I'll pretend like I didn't hear that… Okay! Even though Thorn here is a thief, she did NOT steal Yu-Gi-Oh.

TMT: Sadly.

Marik: So now that the disclaimer has been said, get on with the story woman so I can party!

TMT -_______-* Here goes…

Oh, and again, I call the real Bakura _Ryou_, and the Thief _Bakura._

**Chapter 6: Egypt-bound and Bored.**

At first, everybody (except Kaiba) was pretty excited about going to Egypt just to see the Items again and maybe even relax, or go sightseeing. Ryou was keeping to himself, as he didn't want his Yami annoying Yugi. Therefore, Ryou saw this as his job. _Babysitting a 5000 year old legendary spirit, _he giggled inwardly. He looked timidly over at his Other half, who raised an eyebrow back.

_What does he want? What's with those eyes?!_ The thief thought to himself. Suddenly Ryou's eyes widened and he turned away, hurt. _Must've looked like I was glaring… _he growled to himself. Ryou heard it and jumped a bit in his seat. _Great. He's still afraid of me… though I don't blame him…_

"Ryou?"

Ryou turned quickly and looked him straight in the eye. "Hmm?"

"I'm… sorry."

This was the most surprising thing Ryou had probably ever heard.

"F-for what?"

"I… don't know. You're so… scared, though."

Ryou looked away. "I am not so afraid anymore, Bakura. I… I think you've changed. Even though we don't have the Ring anymore, I still think we're connected."

"But of course, Ryou. I'm probably your greatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreatgreat…."

Ryou chuckled, then full-out laughed.

"greatgreatgreat grandfather." Bakura finished, out of breath.

"Point is," he clarified, " I think you and I… could make a good team."

"Team?"

"Heh. Feel like challenging the little pharaoh and his hotheaded friend to a duel?"

"You mean Yugi and Joey?"

Bakura sighed. "Yes, yado--Ryou, I mean Yugi and Joey." Bakura caught himself. _Dammit! He's not your landlord anymore!_

Ryou seemed not to notice and instead thought. "Bakura, I'm not much of a duelist… but why don't you ask Kaiba?"

"You've got to be kidding."

"No… I'm not."

"Absolutely not."

"Why?"

"I wanted to duel with you! I know your deck much better… but I suppose if you're not tough enough," Bakura smirked, "I'll just have to ask Kaiba."

Ryou didn't seem to take much offense to that. He knew he wasn't much for card games… he was more of the role-playing gamer himself. "Wait here," Ryou said.

He approached the now-awakened and caffeinated Kaiba. "Say, Kaiba, my--err, twin… wants to know if you'd team up with him against Yugi and Joey.

Kaiba actually appeared to be considering it.

"I suppose I owe you for giving me that information about your father on short notice… fine then. If Yugi has it in him to duel us, then so be it. Taking down Wheeler should be no challenge, and maybe if your… twin is any good he won't hold me back."

"Really? You'll do it?"

"…Yes." _I hope I know what I'm getting into… _Kaiba thought.

---

Yugi sat at a window seat looking out at the gorgeous, azure sky. His feet were shuffling on the floor and his hands were occupied with twisting and knotting a string he'd pulled off of his shirt. Obviously anxious, his friends came to comfort him.

"Yugi… we know you didn't expect this, but…"

"What if he's not here?" Yugi asked. "What if… he really left us?"

"Don't say that!" Tea cried. "He's here, I know he is!"

"That's nice, Tea, but how can you be sure?" Joey interrupted.

"I just am." she stubbornly replied.

"Chicks." Tristan shrugged. Normally, Tea would've hit him, but concern for Yugi and Atem clouded her mind. _If he's not back, Yugi might be heartbroken… just when I thought he'd healed…_

Just then, they heard Ryou's voice… laughing hysterically. They looked back and across the aisle to see him red with laughter, almost falling out of his seat. They all wondered what Bakura could've said to make calm, quiet Ryou laugh so hard.

"Freaks," Tristan muttered.

"Tristan! How could you say that?!" Tea said.

"Sorry," Tristan halfheartedly apologized. "But you don't know what it's like to be controlled by that ass."

"No, but Ryou does," Yugi pointed out. "Don't you guys see? Bakura is in the exact same position that Yami was when he came back… except, now he's not in the Ring. Yami had to learn to be kind and friendly, and he had to repent all of his mistakes…" Everybody's minds drifted to the Orichalcos ordeal, when Yami truly believed he was an evil king. They shuddered in ridiculous unison.

"So, you're sayin' we have to be friends with the evil spirit that tried to kill us all on multiple occasions?" Joey asked, half-serious.

"Yes." Yugi replied curtly. He knew full well it wouldn't be easy to convince his friends that they should open up to Bakura, and he knew it would be even harder to get Bakura to open up back.

This is when he had an idea.

"Let's throw a party!" Yugi suggested.

"?!?!?!?!" was pretty much the response his friends gave him.

"I'm serious. Think about it! We can invite Marriku and Ishizu and Odion too!"

"Hmm. Y'know, that actually sounds fun." Joey agreed.

"Oh, suuuuure, while we're at it, why don't we invite Pegasus and Dartz and everyone else that tried to kill us once too?!" Tristan sneered.

"Well, Pegasus is gone, and Dartz is in some other dimension." Tea pointed out.

"Oh. Yeah." Tristan pouted.

"Really, guys! I want to! And I have more than enough money!" Yugi pleaded.

"Okay," Joey and Tea agreed. They all turned to Tristan.

"Fine." He reluctantly gave in.

"Yes!" Yugi rejoiced.

"Hey, Ryou, Y'hear? We're throwin' a reunion party with the Ishtars once we get to Egypt!" Joey called towards the back.

"That's a splendid idea! But who are the Ishtars?" Ryou asked innocently.

Everyone sighed.

Bakura had a rather guilty look on his face, and it seemed as though everyone bought it.

"Bakura…" Tea breathed. She'd never seen any remorse cross his face, except maybe remorse over losing that card game to Yugi…

---

Ryou saw regret cross his Darker's face, and knew something was wrong.

"Was that Marik? That psycho you teamed up with in Battle City?" Ryou asked calmly.

Bakura nodded and turned away.

"Cheer up, Bakura. I got Kaiba to be your dueling partner, remember?"

"Speak of the devil…" Bakura murmured.

"Huh?" Ryou asked, confused.

"Oy, Bakura."

Ryou gasped and turned. There stood Kaiba.

"Y-yes?" _How did he do that_? Ryou thought.

"I heard Yugi's throwing a party. Let's duel him then," he directed towards Bakura.

"Sure. Sure." he grumbled.

"Just stay out of my way." Kaiba snorted.

"Back at you," Bakura retorted.

With that, Kaiba walked back to his seat in the front, with Mokuba and the pilot. Upon close inspection, you could see Mokuba shuffling his brother's deck.

"Bakura, what's wrong?" Ryou asked. "Usually you would have had a much better comeback than that," he giggled.

Bakura turned and smirked. "Ah, you know me so well, little one."

Ryou grinned back. "We did share a body, you know."

"Yeah."

_Ding! Please fasten your seatbelts, as we are nearing our destination: Cairo, Egypt. _A computerized voice rang over the intercom. Everyone did as instructed, except Bakura.

"Gah! Impudent seat-thingy. I hate modern technology." he growled, fiddling with his seatbelt.

"Surely you don't mean that!" Ryou laughed as he showed his Yami the correct way to fasten an airplane seatbelt.

"Of course I do," he explained, "Security systems are SO much harder to get past nowadays… not that I can't do it." he smirked.

Ryou shook his head, but couldn't help but smile.

Everyone landed intact, much to their surprise.

"Look!" Mokuba shouted. "There's Marik, Ishizu, and Odion!"

Sure enough, the Egyptian tomb keeper family stood outside in the dry, sweltering weather, waving happily to the jet, as if the temperature was nice and cool. Bakura smiled. Ryou didn't know what to think; he'd never actually met them.

Yugi was so excited, Tea had to practically hold him down until the jet stopped. Joey was trying to look cool in front of Kaiba, so he played it cool on the jet, much to Kaiba's amusement. Tristan looked resentful for coming.

---

"YUUGGIIIII!" Marik shouted as the star-haired boy walked down the steps of the private jet.

"How'd you know I was in that one?" Yugi laughed.

"You kidding me? Just look at it! Nobody but Kaiba would shape a jet like a dragon."

"We just got here, and you're already cracking jokes?" Joey smirked. They shook hands.

"Bada-_bing_!" Marik laughed. Tea gave him a friendly hug, then proceeded to Ishizu. Ryou stepped off the plane, followed by Bakura…

"DEMON!" Ishizu shouted, pointing at the former Thief King.

"N-no! I'm not--"

"How dare you follow these children here! Be gone, foul--"

"Ishizu, he's with us!" Yugi insisted.

"How can that be? I thought Pharaoh Atem relinquished him!" Ishizu gasped, stepping back rather dramatically.

"Can we explain somewhere more… private?" Yugi asked.

"Seriously." Kaiba grunted, "We just got here and there's already a freakshow going on."

Ishizu nodded, her suspecting eyes never leaving Bakura and Ryou. Speaking of whom, Bakura looked ready to kill her. And Ryou looked like a little child who just saw his mom get slapped. Or something to that effect…

---

The ride to the luxury hotel (compliments of Kaiba Co.) was no less tense between Ryou, Bakura, Ishizu, and Odion. Marik, on the other hand, was giving Yugi, Kaiba, Mokuba, Joey, Tristan and Tea an obnoxiously thorough tour from the airport to their hotel.

"And that's the restaurant I hope to never eat at again, and there's the office building with ugly colors, and there's th--"

"Marik, so sorry to interrupt, but it appears Ishizu's about to explode." Kaiba sarcastically interrupted.

"Ishizu? Odion?" Marik asked, "What's wrong?"

"Do you not see him, Marik?" Odion remarked. Marik's face fell. He too was confused about the two Bakuras… and he remembered full well what he and the spirit of the Ring had gotten into during Battle City… but he also remembered an innocent Bakura, which he assumed was the one on the right. The paler one. _But how did the Spirit materialize…? _He wondered.

Strain clearly on their faces, Ishizu finally said, "Yugi, would you please tell me why on Earth you would bring along a murderous ancient thief and his doppelganger to the land which we have been protecting from him?!" Odion held her back from standing up in her seat.

"He's different, Ishizu." Yugi explained.

"I'm sorry, but I find it hard to believe that after five thousand years of his treachery." she replied, calm again.

"He--"

"Look lady, _who the hell are you _to decide that? I don't give a _damn_ about whatever you're _'protecting'_", he spat in a mocking voice, "And for _your_ information, I don't even remember what I did to set you off like this!"

Ryou cringed. He knew that even though his Yami may not remember what horrible crimes he committed, his temper was eternal. And deadly. Literally.

"Bakura, I--"

"No, Ryou. I want to hear what this high and mighty princess has against me NOW. Go ahead, say it."

"I-I… you have no memories? Just like our King?"

"_No_, definitely not like _your King_." Bakura hissed.

Everybody sat in silence until arrival at the Renaissance Hotel. Which, by the way, was a sight for sore eyes. Amongst the orange, sandy ground, this elegant white building stood a good twenty stories above ground, and the whole front area was made entirely of glass; So everyone inside could see the pristine beauty outside, and everyone outside could see the exquisite décor and artistic fountains and stairwells in the Lobby.

"It's beautiful…" Tea whispered, "like a fairytale…"

Joey got his and Tea's bags out of the trunk, turned, whistled and said, "Kaiba spared no expense!"

"I just hope the breakfast buffet is as awesome as the rest of this place!" Tristan added, which earned him a high-five from Joey.

"Oh, hey Marik! I just remembered!" Yugi exclaimed, "I'm throwing a sort of reunion party! You guys are welcome to come!"

"I'd love to!" Marik replied. "Ishizu? Odion?"

They shook their heads. "With all do respect, Master Marik, I do not believe I am one for parties. You will have to excuse me." Odion said politely. "Same." Ishizu agreed.

"Eh, well that's okay; That'll give me some time to catch up with Yugi and the gang!"

"It's a party, then! Tomorrow night at eight… hmm… where will we have it?"

"Why not my house?" Marik asked. Ishizu looked strongly opposed to this idea, but she went unnoticed. Odion whispered to her, "Master Marik hasn't had any friends, mind you. Just this once…?"

"Fine." she hissed back, "But I won't have that fiend taking anything from the storage room in the basement. You know there is a replica of the Pharaoh's tablet down there… what if he finds it? He may remember himself if what he said was true."

_What an idiot girl,_ Bakura laughed to himself. _Doesn't she realize I'm in the car with the window down? I can hear everything she says! Maybe I will just have to wreak a little havoc…_ he smiled. Ryou wondered what he was thinking… but then, something told him he didn't want to know.

---

"N-Ngh…"

"Look! He's waking up!" a high-pitched voice squealed.

Two deep purple eyes opened to meet two brown ones; of a little Egyptian girl with deep concern on her face. As he looked around, he also noticed two little boys with her.

"We thought you were dead, mister!" one said.

"Hey, aren't you the King of Games?" the other asked.

"I am." a deep voice responded. _I am? _he thought.

"You are?! I knew it!" The boy laughed, happy. "I'm Arai."

"Oh, I'm Lilia." the girl chimed in.

"And I'm Joseph." the other one added. "Really, Yugi, you scared us! We didn't think you were alive!"

_I'm… alive?_

---

DUN DUN DUUUUUN!!!

What was that?!?!? You may ask. Well, guess this means I need to write up another chapter, fast! Thank you all for all your reviews, they makes meh smile! J

I will write Ch7 ASAP! Party timeee! But not before we throw in one more partier…

Until then, I shall evilly make you all wait in suspense!!! Mwahahahaha!


	7. Chapter 7

A/n: Finally, we're nearing the party! Hum Hallelujah!

Y. Bakura: Bout' time, Thorn.

TMT: T.T

YB: *evil grin*

TMT: okay, not much to say… except I don't own Yugioh, not now, not ever… (waaaah…)

And now, onto the madness that is this story!

**Chapter 7: Party Preparations**

The former Pharaoh/ King of Games took in his surroundings. It appeared to be a completely modern-day city… but it smelled of desert and he knew in his veins that this was his land, the land of his ancestors. Cairo, Egypt. He was in the opening of a small alleyway…

"Thank you children for taking care of me…" he grumbled. His head was spinning as he stood.

_I thought I completed my task here! Wasn't I just in the Afterlife… with my friends? No, wait… I have friends here, too! Yugi… Joey… Tea… Tristan… Even Kaiba. I can almost… feel them. Nearby. But how can that be? They're in Japan! I need to find my way around here, before I get too hungry or tired…_

He took a minute to inspect himself. He was slightly tanner than Yugi was, with a gray tank top under a black one, showing short, muscular arms. He had jeans on, which were killing him in this heat. But there was something different… without a Puzzle weighing down his neck… and speaking of jewelry, two black armlets were fastened to his biceps, and two more adorned each wrist. Two cross belts with the similar black-and-studded pattern hung on his waist.

_Well, at least I'm not naked_, he thought.

"Umm, mister? Can I have your autograph?" Arai asked, wide-eyed and pitiful.

"Of course. Do you have a pen?"

"Mm-hmm! Here!" he handed Yami a pen with some torn-out notebook paper. Yami signed Yugi's name in Egyptian.

"Wow! Cool!" the boy exclaimed. "Thank you so much."

"No, I owed you." Yami gave his trademark-heroic grin.

The children smiled back, then ran off to show off their autograph.

Yami looked around, and spotted a poorly-made sign across the street. **Jaqui's Supermerkat, **it read. (A/n: Never trust a supermarket where "supermarket" is spelled incorrectly.)

It seemed to be about four in the afternoon, by estimating standards. Sure enough, as he walked into the market a clock with the time **4:03 **greeted his ego. Yami smirked and searched for a payphone. He easily found one, but not before noticing a sand-blonde Egyptian occupying it…

--- --- ---

_Shadows feasting on my soul… That damn Pharaoh… If I ever get out of here… mumble grumble… Wait… is that… light?! Ra… oh, Ra…_

Two lavender eyes open to a blinding blue sky. The sound of people surrounds him. People speaking Arabic… _a trading market,_ he thought. He looked down at his hands. Calloused and sun kissed flesh greeted his reborn sight. He wore a sleeveless lavender shirt with a gold chain, and sandy cargo pants. He had golden armlets encircling his rather large muscles, drawing attention to them, and two longer, thinner armlets fastened to his wrists. A pair of golden dagger- shaped earrings hung from his ears. But the first thing he noticed, out of all of this… _no rod._

He sighed. He'd awoken slumped against the back wall of a brick building. He stood up and walked around to the front. **Jaqui's Supermerkat **was sloppily painted on the sad-looking sign hanging above the entrance. The yami shrugged and waltzed in. He immediately noticed a means of communication… a payphone, was it? He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few strange-looking coins. He examined the machine and found a slot that perfectly fit the coins. He threw in a few and looked up a name he knew all too well… Ishizu Ishtar.

_Bleeeeep….Bleeeeeep….Bleeeeeeeeep…… "_Ishtar Museum, how may I help you?" asked a young male's voice over the phone. An employee, obviously. Malik's eyes widened and he slammed the phone back onto it's holder. _Of course he won't talk to me… I guess I just have to go to this address._ he smirked as he tore out the Ishtar address from the worn out book.

"Y-you!" an angry voice growled from behind him. Leaving the intimidating smirk on his face, he turned to meet the sight of hair that could only belong to one former King… then, looking down, he saw said King's face… his smirk fell into a scowl.

"As much as I'd like to chat, your highness," Marik spat, "I have business to attend to."

"Is seeing your lighter half that business of yours?"

"But of course."

"I can't let you do that. In fact, I'll be taking a taxi right now to get to him."

"Unfortunately for you, I have his address right here! I win!"

"Ahem, is that all the money you have on you?" Yami asked. Malik glanced down at the small number of coins in his hand, then whirled around and shook the payphone.

"Accursed machine! It ate my coins!"

Yami laughed. "So it seems you have the address, and I have the money."

"…gah. So it does."

"Care to play a game to see who gets a taxi ride?"

"Tch. I don't have my cards on me Pharaoh. And even if I did, I don't have my Rod to make the game more… interesting."

"Fine then. We'll play a more simple game I learned from Yugi." he proceeded to pull a golden coin out of his pocket. "See? Each side has a different symbol. Pick one. When I flip, whoever's side is facing up wins. Best two of three gets the other's prize. Of course, I wager these coins…"

"… yes, yes, and I wager the address. Hmm… fair enough. Show me both sides, and prepare to be beaten!"

"Shadow Realm taught you nothing about modesty, Malik?"

"Shut up."

Yami held up the coin once, then slowly turned it to reveal the other side.

"I pick the side with the building." Malik grunted.

"Then it seems I have the side with the Pharaoh on it," Atem chuckled.

Flip 1: Pharaoh

"Damn you."

"Ha!"

Flip 2: Building

"Take that!"

"Rather worked up, aren't you?"

Flip 3:…

… The coin landed perfectly on its side.

…

"…what?! What trick is this?!" Malik huffed.

"I-I don't know… but I think this is a sign."

"What do you mean?"

"I… think it means we should share the taxi ride."

"Hell no! I'd rather rot in the Shadow Realm!"

"Well, then. I'll see you at Marik's."

"But you forget! I have the address!"

"Heh. I'll just ask the driver to take me to the Ishtar Museum. With any luck, he'll know where it is."

"Then why did you ask to play the game?!"

"I knew either way, I'd win."

"Why you cocky--"

"Nice chat, have fun walking!"

"N-no… wait."

"Hmm?" Atem had the most arrogant smirk on his face.

"I. Will. Ride. With…. With…. You."

"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it? Of course I'll let you come, if you're a good spirit."

"You will? After all I've done?"

"If there's anything Yugi taught me, it's--"

"Yeah, yeah. Okay, uhh… thank… you." Malik sputtered.

"You are very welcome, Malik." Yami grinned. Malik frowned, crossed his arms, and prepared for a very long car ride.

---

"Yugiii!" Tea called, "Blue or red streamers?"

"Hmm… what do you think, Bakura?"

"Err…" Ryou thought. His favorite color was blue, but his Yami's was… "Red sounds nice."

"Red it is!" Yugi agreed.

"Hey, Yug. Tristan and I were thinking… wouldn't these chicken wings go great with the cake?" Joey pleaded.

"No, but I know you want them, so go ahead Joey." Yugi giggled.

"Yes!" Tristan rejoiced.

Tea rolled her eyes and picked out two red streamers, with white balloons. She had the idea of this game they could play at the party with them…

"It was so nice of Marik to give us some money to go shopping with," Yugi smiled.

"Yeah," Ryou agreed, "It's too bad Bakura didn't want to come… but you know, I think him and Marik could be good friends. They have more in common than they realize…"

"I think you're right. I noticed it too. One day after Battle City, I was thinking about how well they worked together… heh. Their personalities just blend very well."

"Exactly. Oh, now… do you think we should have chocolate or vanilla…?"

---

"Marik, what the heck is this?" Bakura scoffed as he poked the vacuum with distaste.

"That is a vacuum. It picks up dirt and dust off the carpet. I figured I should clean up a little if I'm having company."

"Riiiiight. Well, I'll be in the kitchen." Bakura replied, completely bored. As he began to walk away, his shirt caught on the vacuum switch and it roared to life. "Sweet Isis! What the hell?!" he screeched.

Marik couldn't help but cackle at the sight of the legendary King of Thieves completely astonished by a simple household vacuum cleaner.

"Bad vacuum!" Marik laughed as he tapped the switch and the vacuum turned off, lifeless.

"W-w-what did I do?! Why was it so angry???"

"Hahaha! Didn't you know? You insulted it when you poked it like that!"

"What?"

"Now say you're sorry!" Marik urged.

"I don't see why I should." Bakura grumbled.

Marik grinned and silently flipped the switch again. _Grrrrrooooooooaaaaaarrrrrrr!!!! _

"Ack! I-I'm sorry!" Bakura flinched, as he stumbled and landed on his behind.

Marik tapped the switch once more, and again the vacuum ceased it's roaring. He had to turn around and pretend to sneeze to hide the uncontrollable laughter.

"Eh-heh-hexcuse me. Uh, good vacuum." He patted the handle of the inanimate object.

"Tch. Like I said, I'm going to the kitchen." Bakura huffed. He stood, stuck his tongue out at the vacuum, and walked to the next room over.

Marik shook his head and dusted the furniture down. After not a single bit of the white dirt was left, he decided it was safe to turn on the vacuum.

_Grrrrrooooooooaaaaaarrrrrrr!!!! _

He only covered about a foot before he heard the former King of Thieves behind him, hollering "Marik! Are you okay?!"

Marik grinned inwardly as a thought occurred to him. "Oh no! No! I can't control it!" He yelled as he pushed the machine back and forth along the carpet. "B-Bakura! Help!"

Bakura was beside Marik in a flash, kicking the hell out of the poor, unsuspecting household cleaner. Marik pretended to punch it and turned it off, letting it crash to the ground.

"That'll teach it," Bakura smiled triumphantly.

"Yeah, I don't think it will mess with us again." Marik smiled back, but for reasons of his own. Obviously, it was safe to assume Ryou'd done all the house chores back in Japan.

---

"Are we there yet?" A certain antagonist muttered.

"No." A very irritated ex-Pharaoh replied. He had to sit next to Malik, as the driver had a crate full of books on the front passenger seat.

…

"What about---""_No_."

"Gah! Can't you go any faster?!" Malik urged the driver.

"Sorry, sir, I'm going as fast as I can in this speed limit." The poor man replied.

"Hmmph." Malik pouted.

"Oh, quit acting like a child." Yami scoffed.

Malik rolled his eyes and ignored him, looking out the window.

"So…" the driver began, trying to start conversation. "You two brothers?"

"HELL NO!" The unified shout came.

"S-sorry. I should've known."

…

"Nice weather today, huh?" the endlessly cheerful man tried again.

"It is," Yami replied with a positive attitude.

Malik muttered something about the man's tongue and a swarm of locusts.

"Ah! We are here!" the man sighed, relieved. He'd just unknowingly survived a car ride with one of the most psychotic people in the history of Egypt. (I'll leave it to you to pick which one is the psycho).

"YES!" Malik practically leapt out of the car. Yami coolly stepped out and handed the man a hefty tip. "For putting up with him," he whispered. The driver simply smiled and drove off before Yami changed his mind.

"Now, how are we going to do this?" Yami asked.

"What do you mean?" came the ignorant reply.

"Well, you're probably the Ishtars' most hated enemy in existence." Atem stated.

"…"

"Didn't think of that, did you?"

"…"

"How about you let me do the talking? Just hide behind that post there while I ring the doorbell. If we're lucky, it may conceal that hair." Yami suggested.

"…whatever."

The two Yamis approached the Ishtar residence. It was a three, maybe four-story building with a purple-gray exterior and exotic plants decorating the front yard. The museum was located on the lower floor, and extended into the basement. The upper two floors were living space, marked by the open windows revealing furniture inside. The roof was black, but irregular somehow… like solar panels were attached to the top.

Malik assumed his position behind an arch-post while Yami sauntered up to the door. He rang twice, and waited.

---

_Rrriiiiiing!! Rrriiiiinngg!_

"I'll get it," Marik called.

"Alright," Yugi muttered as he fumbled around trying to hang a streamer while standing on a folding chair (Note: BAD idea, unless you're a fortunate cartoon character.)

Marik ran to the door, and opened it without peering out the peephole.

"H-hello." Yami smiled and waved casually.

Marik's expression could be defined as such : O.O

---

"H-hello." came the muffled voice. The deep, calm voice that could only belong to…

Yugi stumbled off the chair and landed on a convenient Tea Gardener.

"Oof! Yugi…"

"Tea, get up! Hurry!" Yugi pulled her up with difficulty and towed her off toward the front door.

"Wh-what's going on?! Oh…!" Tea gasped. She caught a glimpse of the hair, and that's all she needed to see. "ATEM!!!" she yelled, springing the greatest glomp of all glomps onto the unsuspecting ex-Pharaoh.

"Gah!" he managed, as the wind was forced out of his lungs. After that, he simply laughed and brushed himself off.

"Yami- I mean Atem…" Yugi began. "I… I missed you so much! I thought I'd never see you again!" He cried.

"Heh. I didn't think so either," Yami chuckled.

"What's goin' o-- WOAH." says Joey.

"Oh. My. God." Tristan adds.

"Guys, what's all the… oh, my." Ryou gasps as he walks in the room.

"…!" Was all Bakura had to say.

Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Yugi bombarded Atem whilst Marik stood dumbfounded, Ryou looked shocked, and Bakura looked outraged.

---

Malik smirked at the sound of the great Pharaoh being tackled by a mere mortal girl. He grew impatient, though, standing out in the heat while everyone caught up on the front porch. _I think it's time I made myself known…_ he thought.

"Ahem," he coughed as he stepped out from his hiding spot. "Pharaoh, I got tired of waiting. It's very rude not to introduce an old friend, you know."

"You…" Marik spat.

Need I say a bloody fistfight broke out?

*Cue wrestling bell*

DINGDING!

Marik, Joey, and Tristan VS. Malik!

…

---

Aaaand I think I'll cut it off here, leaving the gruesome fight to your little imaginations! Okay, I admit I could've done that WAY better at the end, but my seemingly endless pool of inspiration has dried up with the summer heat. For the moment, anyways.

Overinflated ego aside, I'll definitely get this party going NEXT CHAPTER! I PROMISE! So put your authoress-torturing weapons away for today! Hehe…

Also, Don't expect a quick update. Sorry, but I'm taking some inspirational time off. Well, that and the 20th is my birthday.

Until then, feel free to Review! *points at glorious button below*


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